There’s Still Time to Block ObamaCare Exchanges in Idaho!

Idaho is among the reddest of red states, and would seem to be an obvious frontrunner among the states resisting ObamaCare’s health care exchanges.  Indeed, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has long been a vocal opponent of ObamaCare, and even signed an executive order banning his state’s employees from enforcing ObamaCare.

And yet, Gov. Otter vetoed a bill to ban health care exchanges, and eventually announced that  Idaho would set up a fully state-run health care exchange.  In his veto letter to the legislature, Gov. Otter declared that

Under ObamaCare, individual states retain control of the creation of an insurance exchange. The fact is, the federal government will develop and operate an exchange for us if Idaho elects to forgo the creation of our own exchange…

The problem with this logic, as most other Republican governors have realized, is that the states do not have the final say over any of the most crucial aspects of the exchanges.  The federal government still decides what insurance plans comply with ObamaCare, they still decide who gets health care subsidies and how much, and they still use the exchanges to help enforce the unconstitutional health care mandates.  State control over exchanges is merely a veneer over the federal leviathan that effects the “Affordable Care Act”.

Nebraska Governor Dave Heinemann summed up the nature of health care exchanges nicely:

A state exchange is nothing more than the state administering the Affordable Care Act with all the important and critical decisions made by the federal government.

Fortunately, a number of Idaho’s state legislators continue to oppose the exchange, and there is still time to push the Governor to reverse his course.  Idaho residents can visit FreedomWorks’ action page to contact the top state officials by email and phone and urge them to stand against ObamaCare. 

The Idaho Freedom Foundation is also collecting a petition asking state officials to cease implementing a health care exchange.  You can sign the petition HERE.

Over half of the states are currently standing against the government’s unprecedented takeover of health care, and it’s not too late for Idaho to join them!  Find out where all the states stand, and more information on the exchanges, at blockexchanges.com.